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Electric Fence to keep Groudhogs Out
Everyone,
Last year,in just about 5 days, the ground hogs detroyed my 100 sq ft garden plot that had a 3 foot fence surrounding it. They climbed up the fence and went right over it. Bascially I have a 50 foot length of fence, 3 foot tall, made into a rectagnular shape. I'm thinking I need to electrify this fence to keep the ground hogs out. Does anyone here have a recommendation on what kit to get and where to buy it? How are the battery operated units as oppsoed to AC powered? How often would I need to re-charge the battery? I'm thinking I need the Electric Energizer, some wire, and some stand-off/insulators. I can't seem to find a kit online. Do they actually work for keeping ground hogs out? How about squirels? ---pete--- |
Electric Fence to keep Groudhogs Out
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Electric Fence to keep Groudhogs Out
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Electric Fence to keep Groudhogs Out
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Electric Fence to keep Groudhogs Out
---Pete--- said:
I'm thinking I need to electrify this fence to keep the ground hogs out. Does anyone here have a recommendation on what kit to get and where to buy it? Gardener's Supply used to sell a kit which included everything you need (Stafix poliwire, fiberglass posts, gate handle, insulator/clips, signage, grounding post, fence tester and a Stafix battery operated charger) but they don't carry the kit or parts any more. (The kit seems to have been a setup for temporary grazing enclosures.) I've bought replacement parts over the years from Kencove Farm Fencing http://www.kencove.com but it is far from the only source. (Kencove's got so many different options that if I hadn't already had a whole kit I would have gotten lost.) If you are out in the country, a feed or farm supply store would be a good place to shop. How are the battery operated units as oppsoed to AC powered? Much simpler to use, as you don't need to bring a line out and deal with lightening arrestors. Badly wiring a battery charged unit isn't going to be fatal or a threat to everything in your house. How often would I need to re-charge the battery? Depends on the charger and the type of batteries it uses and how often the fence is 'challenged.' You can (if you have the money) get solar set-up to recharge the batteries. I replace 6 'D' cells a couple of times a season. I'm thinking I need the Electric Energizer, some wire, and some stand-off/insulators. I can't seem to find a kit online. You might find a kit if you searched for something on the lines of 'temporary grazing enclosures.' Otherwise you are going to have to plan things out and buy individual parts. Top your fence with a few strands of charged wire or a band of charged tape and you will be good to go. If your current fence is bare wire it can act as the ground. Otherwise, run a couple of ground wires, one at the top of the fence and another a couple of inches down from the top. My fence is 4' tall, one side being chain link (boundary with a neighbor) and 3 sides being plastic coated wire. I have two electric strands on top and two ground strands (on the wire part of the fence). My neighbor says she has watch groundhogs climb the fence, get a jolt, and then jump back off. The wires are attached to fiberglass posts with screw-on insulators. The posts set in along my original fence's T-posts, and are fastened to the fence itself at intervals between the metal posts. At the gate I loop back a wire above the gate using a gate handle. The charger is mounted by the gate (for convenience.) Do they actually work for keeping ground hogs out? Yes. But be sure to do something at the bottom of the fence to keep them from digging under. Buried wire angled out from the bottom of the fence or a couple of inches of buried wire with a continuous mowing strip of 9" x 18" along the bottom of the fence will work. How about squirels? If your fence openings are smallish the electric wire on top will keep them out, too. (Squirrels don't like squeezing through chain-link or smaller openings and prefer going over or under a fence if they can.) The setup will also keep out raccoons, opossums, cats, etc. and I know we have deer around, and they've not bothered the veggies. (Rabbits are excluded by reinforcing the bottom of the fence with chicken wire extending 18" up the fence. Rabbits can run through chain link fence. Little ones do it easily; bigger ones, surprisingly--but they can do it when sufficiently motivated.) Mourning doves like to nap during the day on the ground in my veggie garden, where they feel prefectly safe. (They are amazingly well camouflaged when sitting on the ground.) Having a couple of dozen doves rocket out of the garden is a free cardiac stress test... -- Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast) Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced. (attributed to Don Marti) |
Electric Fence to keep Groudhogs Out
On Fri, 11 May 2007 06:34:46 -0500, (Pat
Kiewicz) wrote: Pat, thanks for the detailed post! I'll respond below to a few key points. How often would I need to re-charge the battery? Depends on the charger and the type of batteries it uses and how often the fence is 'challenged.' I replace 6 'D' cells a couple of times a season. ------ In my research I found many fence energizers but the ones most suitable for a small garden are rated at 1 to 5 miles as opposed to units rated for 10 to 75 miles. Link below is an energizer rated for 1 mile which is battery operated. I found info that agrees with your experience that says the D-cell batteries will need to be changed about every 2 months, http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/CATAL...2d_4986734.htm Aluminum Wire... http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/CATAL...re_4986769.htm My fence is 4' tall, one side being chain link (boundary with a neighbor) and 3 sides being plastic coated wire. I have two electric strands on top and two ground strands (on the wire part of the fence). My neighbor says she has watch groundhogs climb the fence, get a jolt, and then jump back off. ------- Pat, my garden fence is very similar to yours. I did find a couple of kits. One being battery operated and the other being AC powered at the link below but I think I'm just going to buy the energizer and wire separately and fabricate my own insulators to attach the wire to my current fence. http://www.mightypets.com/product.asp?3=283 Thanks again for your info, I'm convinced it will work to keep those ground hogs out of my garden. Traps only work so much, but it only takes a few days for the ground hogs to destroy the entire garden. I think the best solution is to use both. ---pete--- |
Electric Fence to keep Groudhogs Out
For anyone else interested,
I found the best prices for energizers and wire here.. http://raccoon-x.com/electricfence.htm ---pete--- |
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